To forward the automation of a distribution, it is important to automatically read the contents of slips stuck to the individual articles by using a machine. For this purpose, so far, barcode labels corresponding to the contents have been stuck to the individual slips.
To read the barcode labels by using a so-called barcode reader, however, a predetermined relationship concerning distance and direction must be established between the two while maintaining high precision, hindering the smooth distribution. Besides, only small amounts of information can be input to the barcode, and the range of managing the distribution is limited to be narrow.
In recent years, therefore, there has been used slip data-incorporating IC labels capable of effecting the reading in a non-contacting manner using an induction field. According to the slip data-incorporating IC labels, the recorded data are read by using the induction field without much limitation due to distance or direction for reading the data, which is very convenient for the management processing.
Besides, the individual data of the object to be managed can be stored in the IC in the IC label. Depending upon the use, the function for storing the individual data can be used as security information for specifying the individual articles. However, when the information of the individual articles is used for the security purpose, it is essential that the information of the individual articles to be managed is in agreement with the information stored in the ICs, and the IC labels that are once used, i.e., once stuck must not be used for other articles that are to be managed. The IC labels used for managing the distribution are usually stuck to the surfaces of packaging boxes and articles in a manner that they can be easily attached and detached without excluding such a probability that the IC labels that are once used, i.e., once stuck can be peeled off the articles and can be fraudulently stuck to other articles, making it difficult to maintain a perfect security.
In this regard, there has been disclosed a technology for preventing the fraud such as peeling of the surface layer of the IC card to stick it to another one, by forming the surface layer of the IC card using a material that develops peeling in the layer with a stress smaller than the breaking strength in the case the surface layer is peeled (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication “JP-A-10-171962”).
According to the above technology, however, the surface layer is peeled inside the layer in order to prevent the forgery of the IC card itself, which is not to inhibit the reading of information recorded in the IC that is incorporated. Therefore, the above technology does not make it possible to solve the above problems of the IC label.
The above problem is not specific to the non-contact IC labels (e.g., RFID tag and the sticking type IC card) only which effect the communication relying upon the electromagnetic waves through antennas but also applies to the IC labels, in general, inclusive of the non-communication type IC labels.
Concerning this problem, the applicant considers that it would be desired to provide a sensor that cannot be used again if it is once peeled off the object (object having characteristics in agreement with those of the sensor) to which it had been stuck, so that the sensor cannot be used for the undesired objects, i.e., so that the sensor cannot be used for the objects having characteristics which are not in agreement with the characteristics possessed by the sensor.
The present invention was accomplished in view of the above problems, and its object is to provide an information carrier (e.g., information recording medium like RFID tag and the like) and a sensor which cannot be used again if they are once peeled off the objects to which they had been stuck.